An older freighter operated by Danish carrier Baltic Shipping has collided with an offshore wind turbine owned by Ørsted, both companies confirm to ShippingWatch.

”There isn’t that much to say other than the ship has taken quite a beating,” states Ronnie Hulstrøm, CEO of Baltic Shipping, in charge of the commercial operation of the German-owned cargo ship.

Do you know what has gone wrong since the ship strayed that far off course?

”We haven’t been told much, but my guess is that a human error has been made. But we don’t know yet,” says the CEO.

The accident occurred on April 24 where vessel Petra L collided with a wind turbine that is part of Ørsted’s Gode Wind Farm, located in the North Sea off of northwestern Germany.

No persons have been injured. But the ship is severely battered, just as the wind turbine has been pulled from operation while Ørsted probes the incident.

According to local police, the collision has caused a gap of three times five meters on the ship’s starboard hull. Videos of the incident on LinkedIn and Twitter show this as well.

Although the ship took in water, the captain managed to reach the port of German city Emden, where it’s now being assessed by relevant insurance companies.

”The ship needs to be repaired, and the first report is that it will take three weeks. But I’m not sure I believe that, because the damages are very severe,” states Hulstrøm from Baltic Shipping.

Could your company be held responsible for the damages?

”No, full responsibility lies with the ship’s owner and its captain,” he says

The freighter was loaded with grain and heading from Szczecin, Poland, to Antwerp, Belgium. Baltic Shipping is now examining how the cargo can reach its final destination.

Petra L was built in 1984. According to ship database VesselsValue, it is owned by a German company but operated by Baltic Shipping. It is registered in the island state of Antigua and Barbuda.

(This article was provided by our sister media, ShippingWatch)